Controlling and indicating device for radio sets



2 s haetsSheM 2 Oct. 13, 1931. R. H. LANGLEY ETAL l CONTROLLING AND INDICATYING DEVICE FOR RADIO SETS Filed July l1, 19.30

Patented ct. '13, 1931 narran; LANGLEY yAND Julius K. inntxnmus, er 4(inventivafri, oiiio.. .essieiions iro THE cnostmr immo CORPORATION,vor-CINCINNATL omo, A oonromvrioiv or omo PATE ' coivfiRoLLiNG AND iNiiioA'iiNG DEVIcE Fora nAiiio sms vApplication inea rJuly 11,

Our invention relates to controlling means for'radio sets, vparticularly such means as are used to operate rotor shafts of variable condensers or the like, and particularly controlling means which are equipped with visual indicators which may be electrically illumifl nated. l n

Objects of our invention arethegprovision of controlling jand indicating means which are simple of construction .and-not liabletoV de-arrangement and `which represent econo-y mies in construction." f f Another object of our invention is the pro vision of indicatingv means which `are connected positivelytofthe shaft of the variable condenser or like mechanismjbein'g actuated, so as to give an induction which is at all times correct, and `Which is notsubject to displace-V ment so as to give a'false reading, as are bands and the like. Y f f' V VStill another object of our invention lis to combine such meanswith vernieractuating means for Vthe control shaft and't'o provide such an interrelation of parts that amove? ment of the knob of the Vernier 'actuating shaft will produce va'in'ov'einent o f the indicating meansy in ythe expectant direction,"V so' that the user is not in doubt as to which direction the knob should be turned. l .y

Still another object of our inventionis to` provide a construction in which the visual indicator may be [placed quite close to the knob orother device which actuatesthe ver'- nier mechanism, Which has advantage in the constructionof radio sets.' v

-Still another object of our. invention is to provide indicating means in `Which 'the dial is readily visible to the operator, and is so disposed as to be conveniently illuminated byY an electric light otherwise concealed Within ythe cabinet orframe of the device and amechanical arrangement of the' operating parts to this end. l? f A further object is the attainment ofthe foregoing obj ects in a type of construction in which the condenser gangor other controlled device may be located with its'shaft substantially perpendicular to the front panel of the frame or cabinet of the radio set.

These and other objects ofv our inventiony 1930. semi No. 467.276.k

vvhicih will be set forth hereinafter o rfvvill be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading lthese specifications, We accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts of which Weshall now describe a preferred embodiment, reference being? made to the drawings which lIn the dravvingsz` y Figure 1 is a View partly and partly in `verticalsection on the vlinel, l of F ig. 2, ofa device embodying ourinvention, andalsoshovving part of a condenser gang controlled thereby. y 1 v 2 is a front elevation of the device. F ig. 31s a perspective detail of the dial.

- stator plates indicated generally at 1 andenclosed in a casing 2. A central operating shaft 3 to Which the rotor plates are attached,

,is provided, and it isy to this shaft that our contro-lling and indicating means is applied.

` `It'will be understood that our control indicatingmeans islapp'licable tok-Other devices `bef sides condensers, the condenser gang being forma part thereof. -V y vin side'elevationv l l I r Fig. 4 is a perspective detail of 'theface shown in this case is illustrative merely of its application. l A Y Adevice to be controlled,as exemplilied bythe condenser gang, Will be understoodas` mounted upon a suitable base. ori/frame in.l

aradio set rorfotlier mechanism. To therotor shaft vveattach operatingmeans and'actuating means, and We provide as a part of' thevoperating means, an indicator vchart or dial. In the exemplary embodiment" shown We have provideda flanged collar 4 on the rotor shaft, to Which, as by means of rivets' or the like, We attach :anoperating device comprising a disc 6, to which disc is attached means for affecting the rotation of'asliaft, such means may be any desired, such, for eX- ample,as gearing;but inthe embodiment of A, f

thedravvings We have provided adrum member which is drivenfrom a pulley or spool on the actuator ,Staa byel beit, bami, cabi@ or other power "transmittingdevice, as vvill hereinafter be described. We prefer to make the drum and indicating dial in one'piece by a stamping, and we have shown most clearly in Figure Q a stamping of generally circular shape comprising a drum portion 7, a circular disc-like portion S, and a slanting portion 9 which is the indicator dial and is in the shape of a' truncated cone extending within the drum portion 7. This hollow stamping we fasten to the disc 6 in any suitable manner, as by brazing or welding, or instead of providing a separate disc and a metal stamping for the indicator dial and drum, we may provide a single stamping which has a central plane portion correg to the disc, an obliquely extending portion for the indicator dialin the form of a truncated con ,l and a revers/ery bent portion for the drum, will be readily understood. .l of these parts are in any event joined together so as to move a unit, and it will be cle r that power applied to the drum portion Z will operate to rotate the rotor shaft. Vernier actuating means are provided comprising in this instance a pulley or spool very much smaller than the drum 7, and connected thereto by suitable power transmitting means.

ille have indicatedA in Figure 1 a bracket 19 joined to the casing of the condenser gang, or to a portion of the base or frame of the radio set. rlhis bracket member entends below the Arum Y, and there is attached to it a second racket member 11 forming interspaced. arallel portions. ln these parallel portions Yve journal an actuator shaft 12 upon which 'he pulley or spool 13 is fixed. Upon the projecting portion of the shaft 1Q where it eX- tends through th front panel or casing of the radio set, we will place the ordinary actuating knob, which, for the sake of clearness, we have not shown in the figures. Vle conneet the pulley 13 with the drum 7 by a motion transmitting means. Reference to Figure 3 will indicate a cable 1a anchored to the drum as at 15 passing around it in a counterclockwise direction, and around the spool 13 also ina counter-clockwise direct-ion, whence it returns to the periphery of the drum 7 and is held there by a suitable tensioning device. Vile have shown a bracket 1G attached to the drum and perforated to receive a cotter pin 1'?, to which the cable is attached. The ends of the Cotter pin are bent over as at 17a, and a coil spring 1S bears against the bracket 16 and the turned over ends of the cotter pin,

thereby tensioning the band.

The truncated cone portion of the disc and drum assembly is to be our indicating dial, and it is accordingly marked off with` proper indicia 9a or covered with printed Celluloid so marked, or the like. To the bracket member 11 we attach an i-ipstanding member 19 serving as a face plate. rfhis may have sidewise corrugations 2O for strength. @rdinarily it will be a part of the front panel of a radio set which will be cut out to expose a central portion of the face plate 19. lt also has an elongated perforation indicated at 21 to expose a portion of the dial member. lt will be noted that the exposed portion of the dial member is located adjacent to the actuating shaft 12 and that if a knob att-ached to the said shaft is rotated in a clockwise direction, the exposed portion of the dial will appear to move in the same direction, although the drum portion and the condenser shaft 3 rotate Vin a counter-cloclnvise direction. It

*ill be noted also that the indicator opening` 21 and the actuating knob are located quite close together, which is an advantage in the construction of radio sets; and further, that inasmuch as the line of sight of an observer is normally directed downwardly toward the exposure opening 11, the dial itself, lying at an anule to the face plate 19, is substantially at rignt angles to the line of sight of the ob server. A pointer 21a is provided in the window 21.

The truncated cone shape of our dial portion provides a central clearance, and in this central clearance we mount a lamp as follows: A bracket 22 entends at right angles to the upper portion of the face plate 19 and bears a depending lamp socket 23, into which an illuminating bulb may be screwed. Suitable current connections to the socket may be made as readily understood. The lamp may be provided with a complete housing, of which the face plate 19 forms a front portion if desired, such a housing being indicated at 25 in Figure 1, and the lower portion thereof will have an aperture corresponding to the aperture 21 in the face plate, whereby the light from the bulb 24 can reach the dial. Y

ln this way we have achieved an exceedingly compact construction which is inexpensive to produce, which assures good illumination of the dial portion and also ready visibility of the dial. It will be noted that only light re- 'dect-ed;` from the dial will reach the eyes of the observer, and that the illumination bulb is completely concealed. The face plate 19 .may have, of course, other configurations or embossed ornamentation, the essential being that it provides an aperture for the inspection of the dial and means to conceal the light itself. Vihere the face plate is to form a visible part of the external casing of the radio set, it will be finished in a suitable ornamental manner.

Various modifications may be made in our invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Controlling and indicating; means coinprising a shaft, means for rotating said shaft, and a dial member on said shaft, said dial member having` an inwardly extending truntruncated cone portion, and a drum portion,

cated cone shape, a face plate with an aperture for the inspection of a portion of said dial, and a light located behind the front surface of said faceplate and above said aperture.- 'l

2. In controlling and indicating means a shaft to be controlled, a member fixed on said shaft comprising a disc, an outwardly fiaring and outside said truncated cone portion an actuator shaft located beyond said drum portion, and a flexible driving connection between said drum portion and said; actuator shaft, said fiexible driving member arranged to cause said controlled shaft to rotate in the opposite direction to'said actuatorshaft, a

tion, and a flexible driving connection between said drum portion and said actuator shaft, said Hexible driving member arranged to cause said controlled shaft to rotate in the cpposite direction to said actuator shaft, a

face plate concealing said mechanism, and an l aperture in said face plate adapt-ed to expose a portion of said truncated cone adjacent said actuator shaft, and illuminating means behind the front surface of said face plate and adapted to illuminate the visible portion of said truncated cone. y e

' 4. In a radio set a condenser gang ,disposed at an angle to the front panel of said set, a rotor shaft therein, an operating inember attached to said rotor shaft and comprising a disc non-'rotatably mounted thereon, an outwardly flaring truncated cone portion said mounting means and extending in front of said truncated cone, an actuator shaft rotatably mounted in said mounting, a driving connection between said actuator shaft and said drum, said face plate having an aperture for exposing a portion of ysaid truncated cone adjacent said actuator shaft, a mechanical driving` connection between said actuator shaft and said drum whereby said shaft and said drum will move in opposite directions, *Y* Vand a light located behindthe front surface of said face plate and adapted to illuminate the visible portion of said truncated cone.

n 6. A face plate for a dished dial comprisp ing a hollow distended portion to extend into the dial, and an extension from said distended portion having a ournal opening. i

7. Aface plate for a dished dial comprisi ing a hollow distended portion to extend into the dial, with dial-reading means in one end,

and an extensionfrom said end ofl said distended portionvhaving a ]ournal opening. l v

8. Controlling and indicating means com-` prising a shaft, an inwardly dished dial inemy ber fixed on said shaft, having a substantially cylindrical peripheral part, a drum rotatively mounted near said dial, and a flexible element passing around said drinn in one direction, and said direction. f v

VRALPH H. LANGLEY.

JULIUS K. DREXELIUS.

marked off1 to form a dial, and a drum portion extending outside of said truncated cone portion, mounting means` for an actuator shaft beyond said drum, a faceplate. attached to said mounting means and extending in front of said truncated cone, an actuator shaft rotatably mounted in said mounting, a driving connection between said actuator shaft and said drum, said face plate having an aperture for exposing a portion of said truncated cone adjacent said actuator shaft.

5. In a radio set a condenser gang disposed atan angle to the front panel of said set, a

` rotor shaft therein, an operating member at- `wardly flaring truncated `cone tached to said rotor shaft and comprising a disc non-rotatably mounted thereon, an outc portion marked off to form a dial, and a drum portion extending outside of said truncated cone portion, mounting means for an actuator shaft beyond said drum, a face Aplate attached to peripheral part in the opposite 

